The motor vehicle lock arrangement in question is equipped in each case with a motor vehicle lock. Generally, the motor vehicle lock arrangement is also equipped with a door handle, in particular with an interior door handle and/or exterior door handle, in order to be able to open the motor vehicle lock via corresponding user actuation. The expression “motor vehicle lock” should be interpreted broadly in the present case. It includes all types of door locks, bonnet locks or flap locks. In the present case, the motor vehicle lock assigned to a door of a motor vehicle is in the foreground. This should not be understood in a limiting manner.
The crash safety of the motor vehicle lock arrangement in question is increasingly important today. Here, this involves ensuring that the doors of the motor vehicle do not spring open as a result of the high crash accelerations that occur in the event of a crash. A side impact can for example result in an exterior door handle “standing still” on account of its mass inertia, this resulting overall in a relative movement between the exterior door handle and a motor vehicle door. The result is an actuation operation that takes place automatically as a result of the crash accelerations and is of course undesired.
The known motor vehicle lock arrangement (DE 20 2009 017 667 U1), on which the invention is based, is equipped with a motor vehicle lock which has the conventional locking elements of lock latch and pawl, wherein the pawl can be raised in a likewise conventional manner by means of an actuating lever. In this case, a switchable clutch arrangement is generally arranged between the actuating lever and the pawl, via which clutch arrangement, depending on the lock state of the motor vehicle lock, a drive connection between the actuating lever and the pawl is establishable or severable.
In order to ensure high crash safety, provision is made in the known motor vehicle lock arrangement of a crash element that is arranged separately from the actuating lever and blocks the actuating lever in the event of a crash. This ensures that automatic actuation, caused by the crash accelerations, of the actuating lever and thus undesired raising of the pawl do not take place. However, the blocking action always has to be preceded by an acceleration of the crash element into a blocking position, with the result that the crash element does not respond optimally for some crash accelerations. Furthermore, generally high blocking forces should be applied during the crash-related blocking of the actuating lever, this being associated with high loading of the components involved and a corresponding risk of failure.
The invention is based on the problem of configuring and developing the known motor vehicle lock arrangement such that the crash safety with regard to undesired, crash-related raising of the pawl is increased.